Warren boy honored for reporting accused deer hunters

Tyler Sittaro, 11, shows a proclamation from Warren Mayor James Fouts for telling police that he saw two men dragging a dead deer from a wooded area near 14 Mile and Van Dyke. Fouts also presented Tyler with two $50 gift certificates. Macomb Daily staff photo by David Dalton

Eleven-year-old Tyler Sittaro can take his family to dinner and buy a new baseball glove, and it won’t cost him a dime.

The Warren boy received gift certificates to Andiamo Italia restaurant and Dunham Sports and a proclamation from Mayor James Fouts on Wednesday for telling police that two men were hunting illegally near his home.

Tyler reported on Dec. 21 that he saw two men dragging a dead deer out of the woods in the 14 Mile Road-Van Dyke area. He said the hunters left the area in a U-Haul truck and a blue car.

Warren police went to the U-Haul shop at 13 Mile and Ryan roads where they spotted a blue Subaru with hunting equipment inside. Police impounded the vehicle, and waited for the suspected hunters to return.

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A short time later, two men arrived in the rented truck. Both had dried blood on their hands and clothes, and officers found deer hair, blood and an arrow in the back of the truck, police said.

Myles Edward Ehret, 19, of Royal Oak, and his half-brother William Valentine Francis, 27, of Riverview, were arrested and charged with killing/torturing an animal. The felony offense is punishable by up to four years in prison.

Ehret and Francis are free on bond as they await a preliminary exam in 37th District Court on Feb. 12 to determine whether they should stand trial.

Warren police and prosecutors claim the pair used a bow and arrow to kill a 5-point buck along the Red Run Drain in the 14 Mile-Van Dyke area. The deer was later found inside Francis’ garage.

“I think it was just stupid,” said Tyler, who knew hunting is banned in Warren.

“Had it not been for Tyler’s efforts, we might not have apprehended these people,” Fouts told reporters outside Fillmore Elementary School in Sterling Heights, where Tyler attends fifth grade.

“There’s a large number of deer in that area. Residents take it quite personal when people are hunting,” the mayor said. “We’ve had complaints for some time. Residents hear gunfire going off late in the evening.”

Mayor Fouts said headless deer carcasses have been found in the wooded area, located near the Warren Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Under Michigan law, a person charged with a felony for killing or torturing an animal without just cause, also can be fined $5,000 -- plus $2,500 for each additional harmed animal, to a maximum of $20,000. A judge also can order convicted offenders to perform 500 hours of community service and prohibit them from owning an animal.

Hunting is prohibited under a Warren city ordinance. Violators face a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Discharge of a bow and arrow with a penetrating tip or head also is banned by a local ordinance, except for lawful self-defense.

Fouts has said he hopes the suspects receive the most severe sentence if they are convicted. After the arrests of Ehret and Francis, the mayor ordered the city’s DPW division to make and post warning signs that hunting in Warren is illegal.